Articles Posted inSchool Bus Accident

Many parents place their children on a school bus every morning, trusting that the driver of that bus will act in a manner that will ensure their children’s safety. And if their kids return home after school without incident, few will give a second thought to the school bus, the school bus company, the district that runs the bus, or other issues related to school transportation.

Unfortunately, though, every year school bus accidents take place and many of them cause injuries to the children on board. Others will cause harm to drivers and passengers in other vehicles, like a typical car, and yet others affect the lives of bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2014, 1,766 school bus crashes happened in Illinois alone, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

How do you get around the city? Do you prefer to walk and are you lucky enough to live close to where you work? Is it your normal routine to hop on an L train, moving about some of the more popular areas of Chicago? If you are like a major portion of the population, you opt to take a bus at some point during the year, letting you get to where you are going without worrying about traffic or even where to park.

Buses help the city move in an efficient manner, reducing the number of private vehicles that are on the roadway while making transit affordable to millions. Yet despite all the good that buses do in Illinois, they also can lead to serious safety issues as bus accidents happen so often that an average of 12 collisions took place every day in 2014 alone.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 19 school-aged children die every year in collisions involving school transportation vehicles. Of those young victims, roughly five die while inside a school transportation vehicle and 12 are killed as pedestrians involved in collisions. The most popular form of school transit continues to be school buses, and with millions of American parents relying upon them every day, it is vital to know what safety issues surround school buses and what steps parents can take to make sure their child is as safe and secure as possible.

In addition to those children who are killed each year, hundreds more are injured to the point that they need medical attention due to school bus accidents, a sobering reality that illustrates the real risks faced by children in Illinois. While all children can become accident victims, the biggest risk is associated with the youngest, most vulnerable school-aged children and it is crucial that parents of these kids understand what hazards may be present.Continue reading

Nearly 1,500 school bus accidents occurred in Illinois in 2011 and of those collisions, 276 caused injuries to at least one person involved. Many bus accidents cause multiple injuries and those who are harmed tend to be young, school-aged children. In addition, the drivers of buses, adult passengers on board, or even those in another vehicle involved in the collision may be injured and may be in need of medical assistance.

Those who are injured in school bus crashes are victims under the laws of Illinois and are protected with certain rights, including the right to seek financial compensation for their suffering. From medical bills to surgical expenses, lost wages to pain and suffering, the damages incurred in a bus accident can be substantial and may accrue over days or years. The losses may vary from accident to accident but the rights are usually the same: victims who are hurt can recover for their losses against the individuals or entities responsible for the crash. Consulting with a personal injury attorney in Chicago can help these victims understand whether they have valid claims and if so, who may be responsible in a court of law for their damages.Continue reading

Two school buses full of kids and adults collided in Des Plaines on Friday morning, sending seven to the hospital for examination and treatment. The buses were part of a Des Plaines Park District day camp program with children between the ages of five and 10 on board. The buses were to take the children from Lake Park to a Glencoe beach that morning and the buses loaded as planned.

It appears that one of the buses rear-ended a second bus. In all, there were 73 children and 12 adults, including two drivers, on the buses at the time of the crash. Early reports indicate that one bus cut off another, causing the second bus to strike the first in the rear. The park district contracts the buses for its events but the drivers are reportedly park district employees.

Fortunately the majority of people were unharmed in the accident though seven children were taken to area hospitals. Those who were injured were expected to recover from what appeared to be minor injuries. The parents of all of the 73 children were reportedly notified of the incident, which occurred around 10:17 a.m.

Parents place their trust in school districts and parks programs when it comes to the care and transportation of their children. While school buses may seem like a safe option for your children, the truth is that thousands of children are injured in school bus accidents every year. When a bus is involved in an accident, children may get hurt due to the lack of seatbelts or the great number of students within the bus. Without standard safety features like air bags, these accidents can turn critical or even deadly.

It is fortunate that no one was seriously hurt in this accident but too often, that is not the case. Sometimes what appears to be a minor crash can leave children with serious injuries that require medical treatment, including surgery, hospitalization, and rehabilitative care. When an accident like this occurs, the last thing a parent should have to deal with is an insurance company that gives them the run-around with a claim.Continue reading

A recent school bus crash on Interstate 94 near Deerfield allegedly left 20 middle school children hurt. According to Sergeant Tim Moore of the Illinois State Police, the accident occurred after one of nine eastbound school buses traveling from Lake Villa to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont was struck from behind by one of two semi-trucks that had just collided on the roadway. The bus, operated by Durham School Services, was reportedly carrying 43 seventh graders at the time of the incident. Officer Moore said all 20 injured students were transported to three area hospitals by emergency crews from Bannockburn, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Wilmette, and Winnetka. He stated none of the students suffered a life-threatening injury.

School administrators and a representative for the bus company were allegedly dispatched to the scene of the accident immediately following the collision. In addition, a text and voice message system reportedly alerted district parents to the crash. Patricia Volling, Director of Business Services for School District 41, said the students were on their way to see a Chicago Wolves hockey game when the accident occurred. Instead, all uninjured students were transported back to school following the accident.

Although the exact cause of the collision is still under investigation, one of the tractor-trailer drivers, 47-year-old Brian Bosch of Franklin, Wisconsin, was cited for failure to reduce speed. State police said there was no reason to believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the injury accident.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 2,418 school bus accidents occurred throughout the state in 2008. 123 students and 99 school bus drivers were hurt as a result of those collisions. Because students normally do not wear seat belts while riding school buses, the injuries sustained in a crash can be catastrophic and life-altering. Common school bus wreck injuries include broken bones, head, neck, back, and traumatic brain injuries, and even death. The parents of a minor who was hurt while riding a school bus may bring a lawsuit on behalf of their child in order to recover medical costs, pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and other damages. If your child was hurt in a Chicago Metro school bus collision, you should discuss your case with a skilled personal injury attorney.Continue reading

Illinois car accident attorneys at Abels & Annes are heading to court for a teenage client who was hurt in a school bus accident. The automobile vs. school bus collision took place in the area of Oakwood Avenue and 197th Street in Lynwood, Illinois, in December of 2010 at approximately 6:43 a.m. Our client was injured when the school bus she was a passenger in was T-boned by a 2001 Ford escape.

The school bus was traveling eastbound on 197th Street approaching its intersection with Oakwood Avenue. The school bus stopped for a stop sign at the intersection and then, when it had the right of way, the school bus proceeded to make a left turn onto Oakwood Avenue. At that same time, the defendant was driving southbound on Oakwood Avenue approaching its intersection with 197th Street.

When the Ford reached the intersection, he failed to stop and/or yield the right of way, and proceeded through the intersection, striking the school bus in which our client was a passenger. The front-end of the Escape struck the front driver’s side of the school bus.

The Lynwood Police Department responded to the scene of the collision. After speaking to all the parties involved in the collision, the investigating officer placed the Ford driver at fault for the collision. The investigating officer noted that the students on the school bus confirmed the defendant’s failure to stop at the stop sign and/or yield the right of way to the school bus.

We have argued to the defendant’s insurance carrier that he failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop for a stop sign, failed to yield the right of way, failed to stop and/or reduce his speed to avoid a collision, and failed to exercise due care for the safety of those in the area.

The defendant’s insurance carrier is denying the claim because the defendant is claiming the bus cut over into his lane while making the turn and hit him. The problem with this argument is there is a bus full of kids saying otherwise. Essentially, the defendant has decided to waste everyone’s time with a lawsuit he won’t win. I would expect that after a period of litigation, the defense lawyers will tell the insurance carrier to be realistic and try to settle the case.

Following the collision, the teenager had an immediate onset of back pain and headaches.

That same day, she was seen at the Ingalls Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. There, she complained of back pain and headaches. A history was taken, she was examined and diagnostic tests were performed, including a CT of her head and x-rays of her lumbar spine. A physical exam revealed paraspinal tenderness of the lower and mid back. She was initially diagnosed with a closed head injury, paraspinal contusion/abrasion, and low back pain. She was prescribed pain medication, instructed to follow up with her primary care physician, and discharged.Continue reading

As we recently reports on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, 9 students were hospitalized after a school bus accident in Illinois. According to the Daily Herald, the school bus crashed near Sugar Grove as it rolled over onto its side and slid into a nearby field. Come to find out, this accident may have been prevented had the busing company taken the numerous complaints that had been filed against this particular bus driver more seriously.

One of the students injured on the bus that day had previously filed a complaint about the bus driver who had a history of drowsy driving. The passengers on the school bus that day were between the ages of 4 and 20. They were heading from Sandwich to Napperville, a 30 mile journey. The bus transporting these passengers was owned by Illinois Central School Bus. The busing company agrees that the accident was caused by a drowsy driver, which they say was the first time something like this has happened, despite numerous previous complaints.

The busing company states that the driver was punished after complaints about his performance. Officials with the school said that all they could do was pass along the complaints because they were not the ones who contracted the bus company. That wasn’t enough though because the driver stayed behind the wheel, endangering students.

“He started the route in September, and within days, some of us started to notice a regular pattern of him nodding off and swerving erratically,” said one complaining witness.

A teenage school bus passenger reportedly sent in a number of complaints with her grandmother. They both say that the complaints were just ignored.

On the morning before the accident, students report that the driver was falling asleep at the wheel, as had become the norm. The bus driver was allegedly woken up by the bus aide who was screaming.

One student said that she wasn’t buckled in that day by a seat belt. She says that the bus driver’s assistant was screaming at the sleeping bus driver. Within seconds of the yelling, the bus veered to the right and was thrown on its side. Nearby motorists pulled over to assist the young children.

According to officials with Kane County, an investigation is ongoing and information will not be released until the investigation is over. Lt. Patrick Gengler says that the department is awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

Illinois Central is conducting an internal investigation of its own.

Officials with Little Friends, Inc., who operates the two Naperville schools where the students were being taken, say that they knew about the complaints that had been filed against that particular driver and had made previous attempt to intervene but they weren’t able to do much because they aren’t associated with the company and were not in charge of contracting the bus for these rides.

The witness says that she is just upset that her complaints were not acknowledged. She says her concerns, as well as the concerns of the other passengers, could have helped to prevent this accident.Continue reading

The students were from Rowe elementary school and were on a field trip at Northwestern University. The collision took place around 11:15 AM as the 2 school buses were heading northbound on Chicago Ave. near Davis Street. There were a total of 50 students on the two buses.

Evanston police are stating that the at fault bus driver may have been looking in his side view mirror at the time of the accident.

It is being reported that a vehicle was trying to avoid hitting a school bus that veered into its lane when it slid on a snow-covered highway and struck the bus. The school bus involved was from District 73 and was carrying approximately 20 students to Aspen Elementary School. The incident took place around 7:40 AM.

Police are stating that the bus driver may have entered the other driver’s lane to avoid a snow pile. The Vernon Hills Police Department and the Countryside Fire Department responded to the scene of the accident. In addition to the six children transported to the hospital, three kids were treated and released at the scene. Both drivers involved in the Illinois bus crash were reportedly uninjured.

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